


Raeken Resorts

by cherrysprite



Series: Liam Dunbar's History Class [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Beaches, Businessman Theo Raeken, Daydreaming, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Hotels, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, M/M, Parent Theo Raeken, Rich Theo Raeken, Sequel, Summer Vacation, Teacher Liam Dunbar, Theo Raeken Loves Liam Dunbar, Theo has a son, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25040032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrysprite/pseuds/cherrysprite
Summary: As promised, Liam and Theo meet up again at Theo's newly-opened resort for a much-needed vacation.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Series: Liam Dunbar's History Class [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807270
Comments: 20
Kudos: 118





	Raeken Resorts

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to everyone who stuck with me through Teachers' Salary. Love you guys so much, and this is for you. :)

“Those are looking good, Mark!” Theo called up, cupping his hands over his mouth so that the sound will reach him. He was looking up at pristine windows that were being cleaned after installation. They looked just like Theo imagined in the initial design, large and unblocked for a great view of the ocean only a few minutes away.

Mark was one of Theo’s all-time best window guys, and he’d been working with him since his first resort opened in Hawaii. He always knew how to get things just right. He shot Theo a grin from the window-cleaning harness suspended to reach the third floor of the hotel. “Thanks, Mr. Raeken!” He shouted, doing the same with his hands so that Theo could hear.

Theo shook his head. “How many times have I told you to call me Theo?” He reminded him. He heard the laugh Mark gave without him needing to try.

“Since this  _ one _ project out of  _ ten _ started? Sorry for not remembering,  _ Theo _ ,” Mark teased, moving the harness so he was onto another window.

Theo would give him that one. His workers liked him and respected him as a person, but Theo had kept up the professional atmosphere for years before now. He’d never softened up like this before. Not until recently, at least.

He guessed Liam just had that affect on him.

Theo looked around and sighed both happily and longingly. They’d made major progress on the Jamaica resort in the last few months, and a lot was already done. One of the two hotels that Theo had put in was already completely done, and the second one was almost finished and only needed to be furnished and landscaped around. The large inground pools were complete with fountains and lounge areas already, inner-resort restaurants were ready to start setting up, and the garden, which Theo had put a lot of thought and time into dreaming up, was shaping up nicely. All of this might’ve seemed impossible if it wasn’t for Theo’s large team of workers, and like Mark, a lot of them were loyal to Raeken Resorts and had been with him for years. They knew their way around an efficient yet quality construction job, and they got things done in almost the blink of an eye. They even were  _ ahead _ of schedule so far.

Theo was confident that the resort would be able to open up for visitors in time for August, and according to the list of people wanting to book their stays ahead of time, it would be a smash success. Ever since the announcement had come out that Raeken Resorts was opening a location in Jamaica, the website had been flooded with pre-bookings and his email was full of questions about the resort itself. As well as the demand for vacationers, there was no shortage of people applying to work at the resort, either. Everyone knew that Raeken Resorts paid well even in the off-season, so jobs were always sought-after.

He was proud of what they had all gotten done so far as he looked around, remembering when the entire resort was just a huge pile of dirt and level ground. They’d been working on construction since May, when the resort was announced, and Theo had started staying onsite and supervising in June after his son’s school year was over, so he’d seen a lot of the progress in person. It was astounding, really, how much they got done in so little time.

However, his mind was elsewhere. He had this big, beautiful resort starting to come to life, but it didn’t matter until his two most important people came to see it. 

He’d been texting Jack and Liam every day, but it wasn’t the same as seeing them like he used to. Theo missed his son like he would miss his left arm, and after awhile of being on his own out of the country for so long, he wanted to see him again terribly. Jack would tell him about the things he was doing every day, but Theo would prefer him there  _ with _ him to see it himself. Leaving him alone had never been so hard before, but after how close they had gotten lately, Theo wasn’t keen on letting their father-son connection fade out like it had in years past. He’d never do that again.

And Liam,  _ God _ ,  _ Liam _ . Theo knew he was in love with Liam before, loving him with his whole being, but being without him felt like a constant pit in the bottom of his stomach. His better half was hours away in California, and it didn’t sit right with him. They’d been apart before, of course, but they’d only been a drive away. Now, Theo was rushing to get on a facetime call with him that didn’t interfere with time zones or Theo’s schedule building. He could barely even sleep right anymore knowing that Liam was so far away. He wanted to be able to reach out and touch him, and have him actually be there. He was tired of his fingertips brushing the glass surface of his phone screen having to be enough.

He’d just wanted everything to be  _ perfect _ for when Liam and Jack got there, which was why it had taken so long for him to see them again. He’d wanted the hotel and master suites to be done, the pool to be ready, and the beaches to be set up for when they got there to make the stay good for them, and he was comforted by the fact that they finally were. While the resort was still under construction and Theo was still on the clock as the president of the resort company, designer, and supervisor, he was still so ready to see his favorite guys again. His schedule was mostly clear aside from the run-of-the-mill unpredictable calls from onsite, so he was set and ready to spend time with them when they got there.

“Mr. Raeken, we need you to approve a new set of flowers before they’re put in the planters,” Jeanette, a short blonde girl who was less familiar on Theo’s projects, said almost breathlessly from running around when she found him standing near the hotel. Theo broke himself out of his dreamy-eyed daze and nodded. 

“Sure, and it’s  _ Theo _ ,” He corrected, setting off in the direction she was already rushing off to. Still, his mind lingered on seeing Liam and Jack again, so he reminded himself that he only had a week until they touched down in the airport.

+++

Even Theo could admit that having a driver was a little extreme and Liam would definitely poke fun at him about it, but he wasn’t used to the driving there just yet, so he wasn’t exactly complaining. It meant that he wasn’t able to drive like a madman through the streets on his way to the airport to meet Jack and Liam. The entire way there, he glanced down at his watch anxiously, wanting to be there in time to meet them at their gate.

“An hour until they land…” Theo muttered to himself, sitting in the backseat. It was large enough that Liam and Jack would be able to sit on either of his sides, so it was large enough for him to fidget as he worried about going through the metal detectors at customs to get to them. “Fifty minutes until they land…” He said. “Forty minutes…” 

“You’ll be there in time,” His driver said, amusement creeping into his voice. Theo looked up at him apologetically for his impatience. “We’re actually pulling into the parking lot right now.”

Almost as soon as the car stopped, Theo hopped out and thanked the driver, who said he’d be waiting right there for them and their luggage. 

He went through the metal detectors and got patted down so that he could go directly to Gate B, which he rushed to find by the time he was all cleared to go. He wanted to be one of the first things they saw when they got off their plane, since he was sure they’d want a familiar face. Liam had told him that this would be his first time on a plane, so it was obviously a weird experience for him, and Jack was used to flying, being Theo’s son and all, but it always took him a minute longer than most to get used to being on the ground again. 

Theo waited anxiously with a few others, glancing out the large, floor-to-ceiling windows every now and then. He smiled and felt his heart start to speed up even more when he watched their plane land on the runway, the thought settling in that his son and Liam were only a few minutes away. All that was between them was the plane terminal and a few more steps, and they’d be right in front of him again. He’d missed them so badly.

When he caught sight of them, Liam looked adorably dazed and confused as he looked around the gate for Theo, and Jack was around the same until he found his dad. Jack tugged on the sleeve of Liam’s soft hoodie and pointed towards Theo, and smiles lit up all three of their faces as Theo walked forward to meet them.

Both Liam and Jack took one of his arms, and considering they were all around the same height, Theo almost got knocked over by the force of both of them on him at the same time. Theo bit his lip to hold back the stupidly-big smile he knew he had on. 

There were no words between them at first. Jack took the first real hug with both arms, holding onto his dad tightly, and Liam took the second. With Liam, it was followed with a kiss that was supposed to be chaste but ended up being a lot firmer and insistent than Theo had meant it to be. His heart soared in his chest.  _ How had he lived without this for so long? _ “Thank  _ God _ you guys are here,” Theo sighed once he finally caught his breath and was able to sort his thoughts out. Liam was still holding onto his waist and looking at him in the same way Theo knew he was looking at him: like he’d missed him for a billion years instead of only a few weeks.

“If you guys are done being gross, I’d like to get our bags,” Jack interrupted their long stare. Theo laughed. It was good to see Jack hadn’t changed at all since he’d last seen him.

Theo kept his hand firmly intertwined with Liam’s as they waited for their luggage to come along on the carousel. It was the kind of thing Theo had never done with Tracy. They’d always been a lot more distant with their love for each other, but Liam made him weak in every way, completely turning him into a sap for touch. His knees even felt a little wobbly, and his brain couldn’t process that Liam was actually there. For Jack’s sake, he didn’t lean over and kiss him silly like he really wanted to, but he was thinking about it  _ really _ hard, which counted for something. If the way Liam squoze his hand a little tighter, he could tell.

And sure enough, when they all piled into the car, Liam gave Theo a cheeky smirk after looking at the swanky black leather interior of the car. “Did you get  _ richer _ while I was gone?” Liam asked with a playful smile on his face, as always making fun of Theo’s money and the things he bought. Last time he’d heard about it, it was because of the many settings in Theo’s shower and Theo’s affinity for truffle oil. Once again, Theo was comforted that nothing seemed to have changed.

+++

Theo had told the staff to behave like the hotel was up and running now that Jack and Liam were there to visit, so someone was waiting with a luggage carrier for them as soon as they arrived at the resort. Liam and Jack’s suitcases, packed for at least two weeks of time spent there, got whisked away and put in their rooms, out of sight and out of mind.

Theo was excited to show them both around. This was one of his favorite projects yet, and he’d really gone all-out on creative design since he had such a large canvas to work with. The resort was modern and clean-cut, but it still had the touches of tradition and the beachy, peaceful area around it that made people feel both away from responsibility but still at home. The same went for the walkways and the private section of the beach that fell within the property line. 

As he was telling Liam and Jack all of this when they got back to the hotel, Jack looked amused. Theo cut off in the middle of a sentence and looked at him curiously. “What?” He asked.

Jack held his hands up and shook his head with a grin. “I’m just not that used to hearing you talk so much,” He admitted only half-jokingly. All three of them laughed, and Liam’s hold on Theo’s hand squoze tighter again.

“Yeah, I guess I should get to the actual tour,” Theo pivoted, thinking for a second about where he should start. They were close to the beach, which Liam and Jack were both excited about, so maybe he should start there…

“You know,” Jack interrupted his train of thought, glancing down at Theo and Liam’s linked hands. “I think I might find my own way around, if that’s okay.”

Theo was confused for a second, but Jack’s eyes flitted pointedly down to Theo and Liam’s joined hands again, and Theo understood that time. “Yeah, okay,” Theo said, digging the keycard for Jack’s room out of the pocket of his shorts. “Just be back by five for dinner, okay? And don’t stray too far off the resort.”

“Got it,” Jack said, pocketing the keycard and taking off. Theo and Liam watched him go.

Theo had definitely missed his son, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t relieved to be alone with Liam. There wasn’t a lot they could do with Jack there, but now that he was out of sight, Theo had no problem with leaning over and kissing him hard like he’d wanted to for months. Liam breathed in deeply, his hands coming up to rest on Theo’s shoulders while Theo’s cupped Liam’s face, and they let themselves get lost in it for a few minutes right there in the middle of the walkway. 

Theo was distantly aware of a few of his employees walking around and pretending not to see them there, so he broke away and smiled. Liam looked dazed and bleary-eyed, cheeks turning a pretty shade of red. “You’re so beautiful,” He more breathed than said, rubbing his thumb along Liam’s cheekbone. Liam flushed even redder, biting his lip. Theo knew how weak it made Liam when he said things like that.

For a second, Theo wasn’t sure they were going to make the tour right away without a stop to their suite first, but Liam seemed to gather himself. “Okay,” Liam said through a shuddery breath. “The tour?” He prompted.

Theo grinned. Kissing Liam was heavenly, but he was still happy to go walking with him. He laced their fingers together once again and pulled Liam in the direction towards the beach. “Where were we…” He hummed.

They kicked off their shoes where the resort’s paved path started to fade out into the sand of the private beach. “This is the one open for guests when they stay here,” Theo said as they stepped out, both of them stumbling slightly as they got used to the soft, moveable texture of warm sand under their feet and between their toes. He leaned closer to Liam and kissed behind his ear, finding that he was unable to keep his hands off of him. “But there’s an even  _ more _ private one for the two of us. It’s hidden. Nobody would find us out there.”

Despite the warm weather, Liam still shivered, much to Theo’s delight. He decided then to let up on the sexual invitations - he wasn’t sure how many more times he could get away with it until Liam snapped and dragged him right back into the hotel. Not that he’d really mind, of course. He’d been dreaming of not only Liam, but Liam in bed, almost every night for weeks. It was  _ agonizing _ .

He shook those thoughts off before  _ he _ broke and instead focused on Liam as he looked around. No matter what Theo was saying, he had this kind of calm, satisfied smile on his face. He took deep breaths of salty ocean air, and whenever Theo stopped them to talk about something in particular, he saw Liam digging his toes into the sand. “So, there’ll be chairs to rent there…” Theo said, motioning in some vague direction towards the resort, then cut off. “...You didn’t go to the beach often, did you?” He asked.

Liam smiled at him but shook his head, digging his feet further into the sand. “Only a few times when I was a kid,” Liam said. “And then once with Nolan, Mason, and Corey after we graduated high school. I spent the whole day there. Got a sunburn that killed half of my skin cells, probably.” Even with that, Liam’s smile was soft and reminiscing. 

“How have they been?” Theo asked. His and Liam’s talks had been focused mainly on each other, not having a lot of time for the conversation they used to have about anything and everything.

“They’re good,” Liam said. His eyes switched to something a lot more humorous. “But we’re in Jamaica right now, and you want to talk about my  _ roommates _ ?”

Theo grinned. “That’s valid. Okay, come on…”

+++

They spent a lot of time walking on the beach, but afterwards, they looked at the garden, main pool, and the finished hotel. While they were in the garden, which was only half-planted but still alive with colorful flowers and leaves, Liam had kissed all over his face, making Theo lightheaded and dazed while he tried to show Liam what everything was. That was the point when Theo realized that the timeframe in which they were going to have clothes on was wearing thinner by the minute, and he’d prefer it if they were in their suite for that.

Liam just about purred into the skin of his neck when Theo suggested going up to their room, so they hadn’t wasted any time there.

He still made sure to show Liam around, though. Their room, the one Theo had been staying in recently but had cleaned up specially for Liam’s arrival, was one of the four master suites on the top floor of hotel A, with views to die for and a large balcony outside of glass doors. It was decorated in a modern beach theme like the rest of the resort in soft blues, whites, and subtle golds, and had a bathroom even larger than the one at Theo’s place. Theo planned to take Liam into that shower and really  _ impress _ him - and not  _ only _ with all of the high-tech settings, if you catch his drift.

“It’s beautiful,” Liam marveled, looking around their room. Theo smiled, a sense of pride bubbling up in his chest. He’d wanted nothing more than to make this good for Liam, and he was glad to have delivered. He was looking forward to spending the next two weeks with Liam by his side, and he was already planning on trying to convince him to stay for longer or come back one more time before the resort was opened to the public. 

He noticed the exact moment when Liam’s eyes fell on the huge king bed in the center of one wall. They had been trying to avoid looking at it directly, but now, Liam’s eyes glossed right past Theo and landed on the comfortable looking bed, and Theo knew with the hungry look in those blue eyes that it was  _ not  _ about jetlag. 

Theo looked at him, a smirk coming slowly to his face. He didn’t know who kissed who first, but they fell into each other naturally, their bodies pressing against each other’s without hesitation. Their legs tangled together and threatened to trip them as they moved clumsily towards the bed, both with the same idea. 

Theo fell back on the bed when Liam tried to take off his shirt, but he wasn’t mad about it; Liam was getting on top of him right afterwards, pushing him back even further and straddling his hips. Theo couldn’t help the wide, awed grin on his face as Liam peeled his shirt off, and his hands came up to frame Liam’s sides. “ _ Fuck _ ,” Theo breathed, his hands moving to screw up Liam’s hair. Liam laughed and did the same to him, working on the fly of his pants next.

Theo arched up to kiss him, and used Liam’s temporary distraction to flip them over. Liam landed on his back with a surprised “ _ oof _ ” and smiled up at Theo a second later. Theo felt like he was  _ burning _ . “I’ve been waiting for this for  _ weeks _ ,” He whispered against the skin of Liam’s neck before biting down, drawing the first helpless noises from that pretty mouth of Liam’s.

Liam pulled him off by the hair just long enough to pull their lips together, not kissing, but brushing together dizzily. “Then fucking  _ take  _ it,” Liam whispered in challenge, and that was all Theo needed before their lips were connected together desperately again.

+++

Theo and Liam made an effort not to look like they’d been having sex on and off for hours by the time they got to dinner. They put their hair back into place the best they could and got showers, but they did end up having to change their clothes since theirs’ were all wrinkled from being tossed on the floor, which kind of gave them away when they stepped out into the hallway to meet Jack. He had looked the two of them up and down with a mixture of disgust and amusement and said nothing. 

Theo straightened out his shirt. “Ready to go?” He asked the two of them, nodding towards the elevator at the end of the hall. Liam and Jack followed along.

They had dinner reservations for a nice steakhouse, one of the restaurants Theo was partnered with. Soon, there would be a location in Theo’s resort for guests to eat at without even having to leave the premises, so Theo had a good relationship with the owner of the place. That got him points towards a good partnership, but also a great table for three with prompt service. Being a businessman with connections had some advantages.

“Everything’s on me, get what you want,” Theo told both of them. Liam looked like he wanted to protest, but Theo changed the subject to the menu before he could get the words out. “Should we do appetizers?”

+++

Theo usually didn’t make a habit of mixing business with pleasure. In the past, he  _ had _ stayed in the hotels on his property and he’d used some of the commodities and visited the attractions, but those instances had only been about research. His only reasoning behind it all was to make sure that from a customer’s perspective, everything was above and beyond, and considering Theo’s luxury taste, that was high praise. If he wasn’t doing it for the good of the company, he wasn’t doing it at all.

So it was certainly a change to be kicking back on one of the privately-owned sections of the beach, but it wasn’t one he was unhappy with. The sun was hot on his tanning skin in a pleasant way, and although he was still taking calls for any emergencies or questions his employees might have, he was enjoying a free day at the beach. 

He was sitting on a rainbow-striped beach blanket (a joke gift from Alec and Nolan to Liam that ended up coming in handy) and leaning back on his hands. His eyes were squinted against the sun sort of uncomfortably, but he didn’t mind. He got the view of Jack and Liam around ten feet away, down where the sand was wetter from the tide and therefore more moldable.

He watched them as they built sand castles, grinning the whole time. Theo remembered the intense and excited conversations Jack and Liam had gotten into as soon as Theo invited them to come stay with him about a sand castle competition, and it was even more fun seeing it play out. While Theo was dry (he’d never liked swimming too much), he could see the sand sticking to Liam and Jack’s skin from going in the water a few minutes earlier. Theo wouldn’t be able to function with all that grit on him, but they were enthralled in the competition and didn’t seem to care. Liam was going for a shell-covered, fancy looking castle and kept accidentally disintegrating his towers when he pressed the shells into the sand too hard, and Jack was using that to his advantage to show him up by, well, actually having some structural integrity. Theo wasn’t sure who was supposed to be  _ judging _ this competition just yet, but if it was him, he had a winner in mind. Even though he adored every single thing Liam did, Jack’s was the one still standing, so he got extra points for that.

He was less focused on the sand castles than Liam and Jack themselves. Before they’d introduced Jack into the mix, Theo would’ve never thought  _ this _ would happen. Ever since he and Tracy had divorced, he’d never pictured someone else being in his son’s life that way, so he was nervous and in uncharted territory when Liam and Jack  _ really _ met for the first time, not as teacher and student, but as people in Theo’s life. 

He’d expected awkwardness and resentment. He knew his son and how he worked, and he’d thought that no matter how much compassion Liam would have, it would take a lot of time to really adjust, if he ever did at all. However, looking back, he was seeing that spending so much time apart from Jack had made him underestimate him. Liam, Jack, and Theo seemed like pieces of a puzzle now.

It was overwhelming and beautiful in the best way to watch what was happening. Liam and Jack were the two most important people in his life, so when he’d gotten what he was least expecting -  _ friendship _ \- he almost didn’t know how to handle it. It made his work-oriented heart start back beating for something more important.

His mushy train of thought was interrupted by his phone, face-down on the blanket, buzzing with a call. He picked it up right away, figuring it was probably Jeanette with another question about the garden boxes, since she’d already called once since they got to the beach an hour ago. His eyebrows furrowed and he brought the screen closer to his face when he saw that the caller ID indicated this was far from a work call.

Tracy almost never called him unless something was about Jack, so he felt his chest constrict painfully when he saw his ex-wife’s name on his screen. The idea of Tracy wanting Jack back with her only  _ two _ days into the vacation was terrible, but not unexpected. It had been hard to compromise with Tracy regarding Jack before, so the vacation had been even harder to get her to agree with. He spared one last glance at Jack, who was still happily building up a sand wall, and hoped he wouldn’t have to give him bad news before he took the call.

“Tracy, hi,” Theo said into the phone, putting on the same voice he always used, one that was both casual but not disrespectful. The last thing anyone ever wanted to do was make Tracy believe they were being disrespectful. Theo wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was the due amount of afraid that people should be when it came to her. 

“Hi, Theo,” She greeted. Her tone of voice was about the same, but a lot more relaxed. Tracy was definitely not afraid of Theo in any amount. The only emotion she ever seemed to convey in her tone was resentment. Luckily, she didn’t seem to have gotten there yet. 

She didn’t say anything else at first, giving Theo a chance to speak, or so he thought. “Uh-?”

“I’m just calling to check in,” She interrupted, probably by accident, but she didn’t apologize for Theo’s awkwardness. “Nothing’s gone tragically wrong or anything.”

Theo knew that if Tracy were there to see him, she’d be amused at the look of surprised confusion on his face he felt settle there. “...Oh,” He said, unsure of where to even go from there. Tracy never  _ ‘checked-in _ .’ “Well, Jack’s good,” He said, looking around awkwardly. “We’re at the beach right now. I made sure he put on sunblock,” He added. Tracy made a little hum of approval over the phone. “...Were you...worried?” He asked.

After all, Theo  _ did _ understand why Tracy was  _ ‘difficult’ _ when it came to Jack. He was her only son, she’d spent a lot of her life being the sole caretaker for him, and Theo had only  _ just  _ seriously committed to being there for him like a father really should be. If he were in Tracy’s place, he probably wouldn’t be entirely comfortable with Jack being whisked away to a different country with his decent-at-best father and someone entirely new either.

He heard Tracy sigh on the other end of the line. “...Well, no. At least, that’s not all. I was just wondering how you all were doing,” She said.

Theo bit his lip worriedly. “Trace, if this is about Liam, we’ve talked about this,” Theo reminded, trying not to put too much stress on it and piss her off. “You said it was okay.”

“No, I know,” She said, rather emphatically. Theo had thought she couldn’t throw him off any more during this call, but clearly, he was wrong. He opened his mouth to say something in response, but he was cut off again. “I guess Liam didn’t tell you that we’d been talking while you were away.”

Theo glanced up at Liam and Jack, his stomach swooping down with shock. “...He didn’t,” Theo agreed cautiously. 

“We’ve been getting to know each other a little better,” Tracy explained carefully, her tone measured. “I even let Jack stay with him and his roommates a few times. I met them too. They’re nice people,” She admitted. Theo felt like his breath had been taken away. Tracy’s voice softened. “He’s a nice man, Theo,” She said. Theo knew exactly the look she’d have on her face when she spoke like that, and it made him a little dizzy. He hadn’t gotten  _ that _ look from her since a year before they broke it off, and with the way Tracy seemed to want nothing to do with him, he didn’t expect to ever get even a hint of it again. “He clearly makes Jack happy, and if...if he does that for you, too, then I can’t really hate him, can I?”

Theo took a shaky breath. If he was more composed, he’d be smiling, but all he could do was look around like a dope. He swallowed. “I’m glad you feel that way,” He said. He still wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be happy about this just yet.

Tracy seemed to feel the same way, even though the ball was in her court. “And I’m glad you do, too,” She said. “It might not be that easy to come to terms with after what happened with us...but you deserve to be happy too, even if it’s not with me,” She told him, not a hint of it sounding like she wasn’t genuine. “And Liam’s a good person.” A breath, then - “You’re doing right by our son.”

He hadn’t noticed it before, but Theo was surprised when he felt the sting of emotional tears behind his eyes. He blinked them away and looked over to Liam and Jack again, grinning to himself. He caught Liam’s eyes after he stuck another shell to the side of his haphazard castle and he smiled right at him, even though he had no idea what Theo’s call was about. 

  
Jack tossed a small clod of wet sand at him to get his head back in the game, and Liam broke their eye contact with a playful scoff as he scooped up some to throw back. Theo bit back a laugh. Tracy was right. He  _ was _ doing right by their son with this. 

“Yeah,” Theo said breathlessly. 

There was a beat of silence between them where they could only hear each other trying to put themselves back together, both of them taking deep breaths and shuffling around. When her voice came back, it wasn’t as serious. “So, how did I never know that you were into men the  _ entire _ time we were together?” She asked, sounding genuinely interested with laughter in her voice. Theo barked out a laugh of pure surprise, more at the way she was joking and less about the words themselves. “You know I’m good at reading people, so how did you manage to keep  _ that _ from me?”

After that, they talked about Theo’s bisexuality and how they must not have really talked that much to begin with for it to never have come up, and more about Tracy’s job and how she was doing. She missed Jack at home already and had no idea what she was doing with herself now, but she was also enjoying the free time. Theo made sure to tell her about all the things that Jack was doing down in Jamaica, that he was eating good and behaving well, and promised to keep her more updated from now on and send her pictures. 

He found himself talking to Tracy like  _ normal _ , like they were  _ people, _ and not just enemies with a past, for the first time in years. If he glanced over at Liam every so often, it wasn’t coincidental at all. Liam was a remedy to seemingly everything. Theo had no idea how he was going to thank him for it; no amount of trips or watches or kisses could ever amount to what Liam had done for them.

+++

They might’ve already gone to the beach that day, but after that talk Theo had had with Tracy, Theo found himself wanting to go back. After dinner, he asked Liam if he wanted to take a walk down to the even  _ more  _ private section of the private beach. They told Jack they were going out, grabbed their beach blanket, and headed down the hidden path past some trees to get there.

The night wasn’t cold, but it was too cold for sex on the beach (even though that wasn’t Theo’s intention anyway), so they were laying in the sand with long sleeves and jeans. 

At first, they’d talked about little things, having the luxury to talk about anything they wanted when they were alone and together, but after that, it had all faded out into listening to the waves crash softly into the ground and staring up at the stars. 

Liam was laying on his back in the sand, his eyes shut to the world with his mouth tipped up in a peaceful smile. Theo’s head rested on his hand, propping himself up on his elbow, and although there was a beach full of sights to see, the greatest one of all was definitely Liam. He stayed focused on him no matter what.

Theo thought about how  _ being _ with someone meant so many different things. In high school, it had been all about who he was going to walk with in the hallway and gush to his friends about. Later in life, it was about who was going to come over after work and who he’d be cooking dinners for. There was usually always some kind of  _ ‘objective’ _ to being with someone, some end goal or something to fill the time.

The  _ real _ concept of just  _ being _ with someone, however, was so vastly underappreciated. Sometimes  _ being _ with someone wasn’t about what he could see or hear or feel, or any of those other things.  _ Being _ with someone in its purest form was knowing that he had someone to  _ be _ with,  _ exist _ with, even if it was just to sit on the dark beach in total silence. It wasn’t about the destination or what they were physically doing.  _ Being _ with someone was the security of knowing that he could just exist with someone else _ ,  _ and Liam was just that. 

He wouldn’t trade it for the world.

This was the happiest Theo’d been in a long, long time. He had everything he wanted. He’d thought he’d had it before with Tracy, but now that he knew what it really felt like, he realized he hadn’t after all; days no longer felt like they were melding into each other; he felt like he was living, breathing,  _ being _ , and he never wanted it to stop. 

It was insane to think that he’d only been with Liam for a few months, since he just felt so  _ right _ . If they hadn’t been together for so little time, Theo would ask Liam to marry him right then. 

Marriage started as a humorous thought in passing as he looked down at Liam’s face, but he couldn’t get it off his head. No, it  _ wasn’t _ just a thought; he wanted to spend the rest of his life being with Liam. He wanted to wake up next to him every day and watch him talk to Jack, and do married things like pack him lunches for work and be able to look down and see a silver band on Liam’s ring finger. He wanted to be able to feel like this for life - feel like he was sitting in the sand with the love of his life, just  _ being _ .

He could see it all right in front of him. Theo would get him the best ring he could find and they’d have as big or as small of a wedding as Liam wanted. Maybe Liam would even want to change his name to Liam Raeken. The very  _ idea _ was dizzying.

They’d start something new, move into a house not far from Liam’s friends and work so that he could still stay close, but it would be their  _ own _ , something to come back to every day with no question of where the other would be. In the house, they’d have enough room for a nursery - Liam’s always talked about wanting a family one day, and Theo was completely open to letting Liam into his and expanding it with him. 

He may have been getting a little ahead of himself, he realized when he came back to the present. Liam had opened his eyes and was blinking up at him curiously, wondering where his thoughts had taken him. 

Theo reached over and rubbed his thumb over the bumps of Liam’s knuckles, then linked their fingers together tightly. Liam’s hand was soft and warm against his compared to the moon-cooled sand and cold sea breeze. 

As they looked at each other with love in their eyes, Theo decided then and there that this was going to happen again. Next year, once their relationship wasn’t so new anymore, they were going to come back down to Jamaica, and he was going to propose to Liam in this very spot, on a darkened beach with the moonlight reflected in the waves. He couldn’t wait to get down on one knee. It was an image he wanted burned into his mind forever.

“You still with me, T?” Liam asked softly, trying to get Theo to come back to Earth. 

Theo smiled down at him, nodding and trying not to cry and give himself away. “Yeah,” He said hoarsely, overcome with the beginning of their future shaping up right in front of him. He bent down to kiss Liam soundly on the lips, then stayed there to rest his head right down next to Liam’s. 

Jack and Liam were his past and future, but for now, they were also his present. Theo breathed in deeply.

“I’m right here.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!  
> Surprise, Theo's POV :) I felt like it was due time that you got to see some of the thoughts behind Theo's disgustingly-sweet behavior towards Liam. He's just as gone on Liam as Liam is on him, no surprise.  
> Apart from Theo's POV, I also wanted to include more of Liam and Jack's friendship, but also some more of Tracy. There are two sides to every story, of course, so I didn't want to leave her as just a villain, since she isn't at all. She's just had some rough times and isn't the best at talking it out :,)  
> I'm also going to leave this series open...there could be some more fics in the Theo, Liam, and Jack universe in the future :))
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you think!! As always, I love to see your comments and really take them to heart :)  
> \- Emma  
> (grenadinepeach on tumblr)


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